Why Are Rumors That George Soros, 92, Has Died Trending?
A bizarre rumor that billionaire George Soros has passed away started gaining popularity on Twitter overnight — despite the fake story coming from an account with three followers.
To illustrate how widespread fake news can be on Twitter, a since-deleted tweet from Politics For All Ireland said the 92-year-old had died.
The tweet from the account, which had three followers at the time, started off as a snowball effect and went viral after a number of users shared the bogus rumours.
But Soros, who has used his wealth to reshape America in his liberal vision by funding campaigns for awakened prosecutors across the country, is alive and well, a spokesperson told MailOnline.
Here, MailOnline takes a look at who Soros is and why false rumors that the billionaire had passed away were trending.
A bizarre rumor that billionaire George Soros (pictured with his son Alex) has died started to gain popularity on Twitter overnight – despite the fake story coming from an account with three followers.
Who is George Soros?
Billionaire philanthropist George Soros, 92, made his fortune in hedge funds and is now known as a pro-democracy campaigner who founded Open Society Foundations.
This has made him a favorite target of conservatives. Since the January 6 assassination attempt on Congress, he has used his extensive wealth to support candidates he says promote democracy and the rule of law.
But Soros, a Hungarian-born businessman, has been criticized for donating millions to awakened prosecutors who support his leftist agenda.
The billionaire’s DAs have abolished bail laws, choosing to refrain from prosecuting crimes such as theft and reckless driving, effectively giving criminals free passage and leading to the breakdown of law and order in the United States.
Soros has long supported liberal politics. The billionaire is pictured above with Nancy Pelosi and his son Alex
As a direct result, crime has skyrocketed in major cities overseen by Soros’s DAs. In 2021, under Kim Foxx’s administration, Chicago had the most homicides since 1994. And in Philadelphia, drug use and violent crime have skyrocketed since Larry Krasner took office.
Soros has long supported liberal politics. In the 2000s, he was an outspoken opponent of President George W. Bush and donated millions to hinder his reelection, and later donated much to the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.
The billionaire is known in the UK as ‘the man who broke the Bank of England’ on Black Wednesday in 1992, when he made a billion dollar profit by making currency bets that forced the UK out of the exchange rate mechanism.
Married three times and divorced twice, Soros is currently married to 51-year-old health consultant Tamiko Bolton, who is 42 years his junior.
Over the past three decades, Soros has given away more than $7 billion to promote democracy, promote freedom of speech, improve education, and fight poverty around the world.
Why is “Is George Soros Dead?” popular on Twitter?
Last night, Twitter account Politics for All Ireland, which had three followers at the time, tweeted that Soros’s family had confirmed the billionaire’s death.
The since-deleted tweet was quickly picked up by conspiracy theorist Twitter user Cillian, who claimed that Soros had died of a “violent heart attack.”
Cillian’s tweet was viewed more than 745,000 times and quickly went viral, with many users believing that Soros had died.
However, it was confirmed that Soros has not died and is alive and well.
A spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations said: “George Soros is alive and well. Rumors on social media that he had a heart attack and died are false.”
It was confirmed that Soros (pictured in 2019 in Vienna, Austria) has not died and is alive and well.
Is this the first time Soros has been rumored to have died?
This isn’t the first time rumors of Soros’s “death” have made headlines.
In 2013, Reuters news agency was redfaced after accidentally publishing a pre-written obituary of Santos.
The obituary, which was posted online for 30 minutes before being taken down, read: “George Soros, who died at the age of XXX, was a predatory and wildly successful financier and investor, who paradoxically spent years advocating the same kind of free-roaming capitalism. that earned him billions.’
Reuters apologized for the mistake at the time. It said in a statement: “Reuters has erroneously published an obituary of financier and philanthropist George Soros. A spokesperson for Soros said the New York-based financier is alive and well. Reuters regrets the mistake.”
The billionaire (pictured in 2002 in London) is known in the UK as ‘the man who broke the Bank of England’ on Black Wednesday in 1992, when he made a billion dollar profit by making currency bets that forced the UK out of the market . Exchange rate mechanism